Sunday, July 25, 2010

Krazy what you can freeze!

Since June is National Dairy Month, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Freezing Dairy… Are you all freezing dairy products? I love getting a Krazy deal on Butter or even Milk and stocking up for a few extra weeks. Luckily I have an extra Freezer, so space is not a problem. Here are some guidelines for freezing your Dairy Products:

Always write the date on the item before freezing it. This will help you keep an inventory of what’s in your freezer

Make sure to allow for expansion when freezing liquids.

BUTTER: Freeze high-quality butter made from pasteurized cream. If butter is unsalted, it will lose it’s flavor over time, so try to only freeze for a short amount of time (around a month). Regular Butter can freeze for 6-12 months. Margarine can be frozen for up to 12 months.

CHEESE: Cheese gets crumbing after being frozen- so it’s best to shred before freezing it. Freeze it wrapped in foil or a freezer bag.

COTTAGE CHEESE: Cottage or Ricotta Cheese can be frozen for up to a month. Cream Style Cottage Cheese may separate when thawed.

CREAM CHEESE: Can be frozen. I have noticed a slight change in consistency and only freeze it if I will be using it to cook with.

CREAMER: Liquid Coffee Creamer can be frozen for up to 1 month. I have actually never done this, and so I am not sure about consistency.

HALF & HALF and LIGHTER CREAMS: These lighter creams do not freeze well.

HEAVY CREAM: Freeze only heavy cream containing 40 % or more butter fat. After it’s been frozen it will not whip to full volume. You can keep in the freezer for 1-2 months and will freeze better if you transfer it to a different container, like a plastic or glass tupperware container.

MILK: Pasteurized homogenized milk can be frozen. Let thaw completely before you use it, and store in the refrigerator while it thaws. Shaking Milk ONCE THAWED will help restore a normal consistency. I open the cap before putting it in the freezer, to allow room for expansion- and then freeze for up to 1 month.

SOUR CREAM: Can be frozen, but will loose it’s smooth texture. I only freeze Sour Cream when I will be using it to cook with.

YOGURT: Yogurt is similar to Sour Cream and will get grainy after it’s thawed. I like to freeze yogurt, if I will be using to it make smoothies after it’s thawed.

WHOLE EGGS: Crack eggs into a bowl and stir gently to break up to yolk. These can be kept frozen for up to a year. I freeze into a mold, and then put them in

a freezer bag with the date and number of eggs. I have heard that if you are freezing eggs to later cook with desserts, that you should add in 1 teaspoon sugar for 1 cup of eggs. If you will be using them for other uses, you can add 1 teaspoon salt for 1 cup of eggs. (I have never actually done